Education does empower us to think for ourselves more and be more likely to know when we are getting fooled. It does remove some of the power others have over us. I agree with you Old Rabbit. Kind of like watching a commercial about a product and recognizing the trick used on camera to promote it. Like vacuum cleaners...

AI has it's uses, may reduce some of our burden, but I hope we all can still live as we want with very few left behind. A utopia will never exist, and in fact it sounds like it may be rather boring if it did. My opinion of course. Where power is concerned, it seems that someone invariably decides to use it for less than good means to control others. AI being a powerful thing would lend it's self to being used against us if allowed. If we are educated about AI then we may know what to do if the day comes when someone uses it against us. And being educated we could use it for good things to help others.

Universal care is not a path to utopia, but it would go a long way to solve societies ills.

I do believe Robotic AI will move society to one of universal care, but I fear it will be slow to come. Mainly due to greed and the desire for power over others.

One path to a good society where people are willing to look after each other iseducation. The uneducated left to their own reasoning often leads to following those who wish to mislead others for their own benefit. Education alone won't prevent this but it would limit it to a great degree.

So there should always be a requirement to be educated for the benefit of society andthe individual. Even with a good education there will always be those with mentalproblems, but without the stress of survival it shouldn't create the same problems as it does today.

I've been going to our local St louis con from it's beginnings. Wether I'm able to stay all three days or just part of one. The con's first year, 2014, saw 211 attendees and 62 fursuiters in the parade. This year there were 463 attendees and 105 fursuiters in the parade. We also raised $5960.19 for charity AND our con chairwoman donated her hair to 'Wigs for Kids'. You can check out the pictures on their face book page,

This convention has has it's rough starts. First the hotel/convention place it was originally scheduled to be at called the board up at informed them the building was going to be raised. So they quickly found a new spot. This place was very small. With little to choose from for food or supplies around. The second hotel/convention space was connected to a casino. More to choose from for food. But nothing you could buy on a budget. The con space itself was cramped with no real room. Last year there was no convention. So they threw a picnic. It was cool. This year. Night and day difference. Better hotel. Better convention space. And many places to eat within a two mile radius. This was the kind of place that made you feel good. From the building to the staff. You knew this was a special event. From the time you walked in to the time you left.

The con itself ran with few hitches. One even had to be rescheduled and a few started late. But your going to get that anywhere. There was more panels and things to do than at any of the previous Gateway Furmeets. With more people participating at each event. Even the game/chill room got crowded at times. The dealer's den was huge compared to what we've had in the past.

One thing I did notice is there were a lot more kids. We're talking with parents or legal guardians kids. The future of our fandom!

As far as incidences go i heard of a few. But nothing serious. Sneaking into to pool after hours and a game of 'beer pong' played in a hallway. With tables as all. And a few parties went sour or out of hand. One of our DJ's was told he was vibrating the beds on the second floor. AWESOME! I told him he should charge more. Hotels charge extra for vibrating beds. The only serious stuff was done by other hotel guests. An elevator needed to be fixed. And a few of the guests tried to break into the dealer's den after hours.

All in all it was a blast. Was great to see friends and make new ones. Looking forward to next years Gateway Furmeet!

If we all lived in a world where robots and AI made many jobs unnecessary, then if at the same time we do not watch our population growth, we may have many people who never have jobs from birth to grave. It would be a new way of living for all of us. it may cause violence out of fear how to survive. We should give it thought now.

Our priorities may shift, without the burdens of "work" would we be more inclined to worry about the environment, peace, and other lofty goals?Is it the struggle to survive that causes us to get frustrated, angry, and forget our ideals at times?Or without a job to perform, would many of us get restless and upset,and "do something about it" and revolt?I don't know.

I have thought about some of the scientists of old, like Newton. Not only did he question the nature of many things ,we must remember he had the time, money, resources to do so. He was not poor and destitute. He was born in a wealthy family. All that meant is he had free time to ponder such things as nature of gravity and light. He had access to education. He was free to think about what he wanted when he wanted. He was not under pressure to produce massive results for a profit. He was able to let his creativity flow. How many a smart person has been derailed from their true dreams because they didn't have the chance to pursue it because they had to make $ to survive?

If the world could come together, and if we had lots of AI that was our faithful companion which respected us, and us them (golden rule), then maybe we all could relax more, and an agreed upon universal system could exist to make it possible for all of us to have a basic income. Saying that if we all didn't have to work super hard to be able to just survive, then we may not be so inclined to be hot under the collar when people talk about using "others money" for "someone else". If money was not the driving factor in life, it would be less important to us, and make it more likely to give it to charity or a universal system?

Not anything extravagant, just a shot at having adequate food, water, air, shelter, protection, representation, education. It would be nice to know, that no matter how bad things got, that you could drop back to the basic level, until you could get back up on all paws and start running again. Regardless of age, race, anything at all. And if you started out in the universal income system you could find a way to work and get more if you wanted it.

It would almost make the country like a big family, with very nice parents. Just think, you try hard, you do well, pay into the system. Then one day, you injure your back and can't work for 2 years. At that time, you live on the guaranteed base income system. All you would have to worry about is getting well, and getting back to work. Without the other burdens, you have no excuse not to get back to work. With an environment like that to grow up in, you might be happy to put into the system!

Hypothetical.As it is now, you get injured, lose work time, lose money, insurance covers only so much, go into debt, get bad credit. Hard to get a job with bad credit, hard to get housing. Time out of work on a resume looks bad to some employers. The stress slows down the healing process. You re-injure the back because you couldn't afford time off to let it heal.

HypotheticalYou injure your back, employer understands, normal system of short term disability kicks in, then maybe long term disability. Then after that, the basic income system. You live off of that until you get well. Then go back to work. Employers understand why the resume has a break in it an are willing to hire you again. You never went into extreme debt, never had to stress out about food, rent, water bill, etc.. Never had to turn to a life of crime to support yourself and family. And your children see this all unfold and understand that no matter how bad it gets, the country and its great citizens will be there to lend a helping paw. And this lack of stress will maybe mold their minds into a peaceful one, one willing to lend a paw too. we become more family like. How many families are ruined because of money stress? How many kids/adults act out in violence because of stress and fear of what the world will hold for them in uncertain times?

And of course for the permanently disabled for which there will always be a percentage of our population, why not take care of them? It could be any of us at any time? It would say a a lot about us as a group if we could do something like that. I know we have some programs to do this, but it could be better.

Yes, there will always be some who refuse to work, contribute, be more, when they very well could be doing so. But also, without the pressure to HAVE to work, maybe they could feel free to choose whatever they wanted to do to make any amount of money, little or big. This may allow them to be more creative and free, more productive and original.

And it could help the underpaid.Teachers get paid too little in my opinion. If we all got a base income that was sufficient, then those who love to work,but who are underpaid, could survive better doing what they are passionate about.

So if AI starts replacing people, can we engineer a system NOW that can help to shape our society into one where we transition those who are displaced into new jobs? And as AI starts making it more and more likely that we don't need to work to survive, can we start designing into our society the guaranteed income system? Then we all breathe easier?

I know most of my problems are caused by stress, and that stress for the most part comes from the ever looming question of how will I survive?Just knowing that there is a safety net for all of us, regardless of age, race, sexual orientation political affiliation, anything at all, would go a long way towards making me happier and dare I say more peaceful?

I know I may have been overly optimistic, but I wanted to dream for a little.So if we can deal with the transition to more AI, perhaps the future is a better one?Thoughts?

There are estimates that over 800,000,000 people world wide will loose jobs to AI robotics by 2030. Not just food service or vending machines, but paralegals, secretaries and otherstoo. At what point will a minimum income for people be set up?

I am sure many would oppose an minimum income bysaying it would give people an excuse to not work. It would be cheaper to provide a minimum income than payingpeople to hand out welfare. Also providing an income woulddrive and additional Trillion dollars in yearly sales, andcreate 10's of thousands of jobs.

Sure some would sit back and try to live on a minimum income,but it would be e living that most would not wish to endure. The bad thing would be for politicians to set it up as a punishment or way to get votes, by removing so called gold diggers, or becausesomeone made a buck or two.

Peopl are alreay talking about a minimum income, but it will be a long time coming I am sure.

The religious right continues to stand behind President Trump. Theseare the same people who advocated killing doctors who did abortions, andbombed clinics as well. So it's no wonder why they would support a man who claims to stop abortions. No matter what his morals are.

The GOP continues to look the other way when Trump fails to do his job, andwon't create a special commission to investigate Trump and his people. Eventhough they know they will likely loose power in the 2018 election. Are theyso afraid of Trump? During two elections he has failed to help a man wina seat in the house and in the senate. It seems to me their support isdoing more harm to the republican party than doing their job of holding iTrump accountable for his irresponsible and impeachable actions.

When will the GOP stand up for the country instead of doing all they can tokeep power? They give welfare to the rich, and deny aid to the poor. All inthe false claim of creating jobs.

Trump only wants people around him that agree with him. Only people whowill lie for him. Only people who will sign a loyalty oath with him as if he was a dictator, instead of president.